


FOOTWORK

by batzi



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dance, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, ChanLix, Chanho - Freeform, Dance crew, Dancing, Discrimination, Drama, Drama & Romance, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, Love Confessions, Love Triangles, M/M, Male Friendship, OT9 - Freeform, Original Character(s), POV Bang Chan, Romance, Romantic Friendship, Strangers to Lovers, Unrequited Love, dance competition, hyunchan, minchan, stray kids - Freeform, woochan - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-29
Updated: 2019-11-29
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:21:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21608239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/batzi/pseuds/batzi
Summary: "After a great loss, Chan's life is turned upside down as he's forced to leave college in Chicago to live with his Aunt in San Francisco. This new life introduces Chan to Felix, a skilled member of the San Francisco-based dance crew, Stray Kids.Felix helps show a depressed Chan a whole new world of dance crews, temptations, and a passion for dance Chan never knew he possessed."-Chan joins a Dance Crew in San Francisco and grows close to it's members, creating various friendships and relationships. These relationships range from best friends, to passionate lovers, to rivals. Follow Chan on this journey of self discovery, introspection, and love.OT9 bonding, laughing, crying, joking, etc.Sad sometimes - mostly fluff, drama, and angst.
Relationships: Bang Chan/Han Jisung | Han/Seo Changbin, Bang Chan/Hwang Hyunjin, Bang Chan/Kim Seungmin, Bang Chan/Kim Woojin, Bang Chan/Lee Felix, Bang Chan/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Bang Chan/Seo Changbin, Bang Chan/Yang Jeongin | I.N
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	FOOTWORK

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Batzi here~  
> This is my first fan fiction for Stray Kids so it was a lot of fun to write!  
> I don't write often (or at all, really) but I thought i'd post this because I bet there's someone out there who will enjoy it~  
> Chapters will be published on my own time and not at any fixed rate so make sure to check back for updates regularly! 
> 
> Important Note(s):  
> This is something I do for fun in my spare time and therefore don't proof read more than once or twice- errors may be included in the posted chapters, sorry!  
> -

You know, the best place to stargaze is in the countryside. No city lights to drown out the cosmos. I miss it so much, the dark blues and purples swirling around the stars every night. I used to be able to sit outside, on the back porch, and watch the stars dance around the moon. There was something about the night time as a whole that spoke to me, the atmosphere it brought had the ability to calm my soul. I remember staring into the darkness and spotting fireflies flash beneath the moonlight.

Ten years ago tragedy rattled my family and I was forced to leave the countryside to live with my Grandma in Chicago. Nothing in life could have prepared me for packing up my entire life and sending it half way across the world. Having lived in the Australian countryside for my entire life and then being forced into the big city was a nightmare. From getting teased for having an Australian accent in the middle of Chicago to my Grandma cursing at me for not knowing enough Korean. Life was pretty shitty back then, which caused me to lash out in some immature ways. From smoking cigarettes, drinking, sneaking out- you name it, I did it.

Luckily, my bad years only lasted up until Junior year. One night I went out with the wrong crowd and drank way too much. I ended up visiting the hospital and getting my stomach pumped to save my life. Worst part is I don’t remember anything about that night. I just woke up in a hospital bed and was informed of the whole situation by my sobbing grandmother. That night I turned my life around and started looking into colleges. I made it into the University of Chicago majoring in Marine Biology. I never really had an interest in the science of fish, or an interest in anything for that matter, but marine biology always seemed like the best option. I spent most of my college years drowning in work, playing a lot of nintendo switch, and dancing in my room to music. But last year that mundane life was destroyed, just like the life I had back in Australia.

I got out of a lecture to a voicemail from my Aunt Elle; my Grandma had passed away. I remember crying instantly, and trembling. Lots and lots of trembling. My grandma was my guardian ever since I moved to the states. She was always there for me... and breast cancer took her from me. The loss still hurts my heart to this day. My Aunt Elle (my mom's youngest sister) had offered to take me in the moment Grandma passed- ahe knew I lived with Grandma when I wasn’t at the university dorm. At first I hesitated to answer her all semester because I felt like id be a burden. But eventually I caved inand let Aunt Elle help move me into her apartment in San Francisco.

It’s a spacious two bedroom, two bathroom, apartment with a large kitchen and living room attached to one another- the perfect size apartment for Elle and I. It was the beginning of September and we had just finalized my gap year paperwork with the University of Chicago. I still couldn’t go back to Chicago, not after everything that happened there. And after spending the entire summer hoarded up in San Francisco I was feeling like an emo hermit. I sat on the couch with Elle as she shuffled the college paperwork into a manilla folder and shoved it under the coffee table.

“Well,” she said, sighing with relief. “That took a lot longer than I thought it would.” She huffed as she slapped her hands on her legs and stood up from the couch.

“Yeah, that’s my bad.” I mumbled, feeling a bit guilty for holding Elle hostage to help me. I also got up from the couch and checked my phone, realizing it was 4pm and I was gonna be late to my second shift at my new job.

“Nah, you’re good.” Elle responded nonchalantly. “Anything for my favorite nephew.” She finished with a shit-eating grin on her face, walking into the kitchen and grabbing a bottle of beer from the fridge. _Uck. Beer at 4pm?_ I shuddered at the thought. I made my way to the door and slipped on my shoes, throwing my leather jacket over my black t-shirt in the process. Elle walked out of the kitchen and into the living room, munching on an apple with her beer in the other hand.

“Where ya heading, Chan?” She questioned, swigging her beer and then taking a large chomp of the apple. I looked up at her from fiddling with the laces on my shoes.

“The new job!” I said excitedly, flashing her an open-mouth smile. Elle noticed my exaggerated expression and gave me a small rewarding laugh. I wasn’t excited about bartending in a sleazy bar, but making $90 in tips on my first night makes it all worth it. Elle took another gulp of her beer and burped, wishing me good luck on my second night at Nite Krawl. Yes, the bar I worked at was called Nite Krawl, try not to laugh.

The bar was packed from the moment I got there at 5pm. It was a Friday after all so I should have expected it, but this was insane. We made the mistake of booking the infamous local band, Lazy Lasagna Boiz. Their fans are known for being “super punk rock” and completely unhinged, destroying any venue they attend. By the time we closed at 2am there were broken stools, tables, beer, and french fries everywhere. After all the chaotic fans left I was finally able to count my tips; only $68 bucks. I sat at one of the sticky beer-infused tables and stared at the dollar bills in front of me, fried out of my mind from serving rabid customers all night.

“You good, man?” an extremely deep voice echoed from behind me, startling me from zoning out in my chair. “You good?” he repeated. I looked to my left and a boy with dark lilac hair stood before me with a concerned expression, the words ‘Nite Krawl’ imprinted on his uniform. I fixed my posture and shoved the bills into my pocket.

“Uhh, yeah..” I paused, realizing I just impulsively lied to him. “Actually, no. No, i’m not good.” I groaned, slumping back into the chair. I was surprised at my own honesty, I guess working an 8 hour shift will do that to you. He gave me a sincere laugh and patted me on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry man, we’re never usually that busy on the weekends”. He must have noticed me working my ass off serving all those customers. “You’re the new guy, right?” he extended his hand out to shake mine, “I’m Felix, by the way”.

I took reached out and took his hand, “Chan” I responded. His handshake was delicate yet stable. “I just moved here from Chicago, actually.” I randomly blurted out. His eyebrows raised out of curiosity.

“Oh really? That’s awesome.” I could detect genuine curiosity in Felix’s tone. “How are you liking San Francisco so far?” he asked while taking a seat with me at the table. I could sense a familiar feeling surrounding Felix, like I had known him from somewhere, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Like we were long lost friends in another life. I ended up telling him my whole living situation and how I decided to take a gap year, which landed me here at Nite Krawl. He took in all my blabbing while giving little bits of advice here and there. We stayed at work cleaning up and chatting until 3:30 in the morning.

Right before heading our separate ways we took each others numbers and decided to hang out outside of work sometime soon. I drove home from work with a small inkling of happiness, something I hadn’t experienced in almost a year. The feeling of making a new friend was something I had forgotten about. I never realized how much one very long conversation with a stranger could turn into such a good friendship.  
  


* * *

Felix and I spent the next month together at Nite Krawl, growing closer and closer as friends and coworkers. Towards the end of October Felix had asked me to stop by his place to help him dye his hair. Now i’ve never dyed someone else's hair before but I have died my own hair multiple times. You know that “rebel” stage I went through in my early teens? I may have also been in the “emo/scene” crowd and dyed my hair black multiple times.

I picked up the hair dye bottle and squirted a mound of the product into my palm. I used the comb to part the last remaining non-dyed hairs on Felix’s head and smeared the gel accordingly. “So..” I started, finishing up the last few hairs on Felix’s head before continuing.

“..this Halloween party you’re going to..” I had heard Felix mention it in conversation at work earlier in the day. But before I could finish the question Felix interrupted me, spinning around in the chair to make eye contact, hair dye smothering his locks.

“Chan. For the third time; it’s not a Halloween party!” He threw his hands up in the air in disappointment. “It’s a goddamn’ Halloween _performance!_ ” He exclaimed, staring at me with a blank expression, awaiting an apology.

I saw the opportunity to jokingly annoy him. “Okay so what you meant was; it’s a Halloween performance... _at a Halloween party?_ ” I plastered a shit eating grin on my face right after to make sure he knew I was joking. His blank expression dropped to annoyance as he squinted his eyes at me and shook his head slowly.

“Joke about it all you want, but it’s actually gonna be pretty important for us.” he turned around in his chair to face away from me again. His tone took me by surprise, he actually seemed serious for once.

“Us?” I questioned, curious to know who and why this Halloween event was so important. In that moment I also realized just how little I knew about Felix’s personal life. I was never the type to pry so the personal topics didn’t come up often in the workplace.

“Yup.” He took in a big breath and adjusted himself in the chair. “I’m actually gonna be in “the performance”. My crew and I are trying to compete for the San Francisco County Fair’s Dance Competition and the only way to make it in is through an audition, which is being held tomorrow at the Halloween Party.”

It took me a moment to process all of what Felix said. _He’s in a dance crew? Auditions? San Francisco County Fair’s Dance Competition? Damn that’s a mouth full, I wonder if there’s an acronym for it._ All these thoughts raced through my head, I was genuinely shocked. Felix didn’t seem the type to take things seriously at all, let alone be a dancer in secret. The only response I could give him was an unconvincing, “Niiiiice.” which he scoffed at.

“We’re not gonna be the only one’s performing at the party though. There’s at least two other crews auditioning as well.” Felix’s tone signified a sense of passion when he spoke. I could tell he took his dancing more seriously than his bussing tables at Nite Krawl. His passion made my interest peak.

“So is there a judge or...?” I left the question open for Felix to answer, I wanted him to know I was invested in what he was saying. I used the comb in my hand to start searching through Felix’s hair for any pieces without hair dye. For a second I forgot I was even dying his hair.

Felix answered quickly, “Oh nah- I mean, there’s an MC that talks on the mic, hosts the event, and addresses the crowd... but the real judge is the audiences reaction.” He took in another big breath as I continued scanning his scalp for dry spots. “So if we don’t impress the audience, there’s a slim chance we’ll be considered for the County Fair.” His tone of passion turned to doubt as the words left his lips. I could tell not being able to compete at the County Fair for him would be heartbreaking. Maybe even dream shattering, I could tell from this conversation alone Felix took his dance crew seriously.

“Then it’s settled.” I said, putting the comb down on the counter next to us. “In support of your dance crew, I’ll be going to your Halloween performance.” He whipped his head to look directly at me to see if I was serious, I nodded my head to assure him I was telling the truth. And without a word, Felix leaped out of the chair gleaming with joy. He wrapped his arms around me tight and squeezed, the hug only lasted a quick second before he freed me from his surprisingly strong grip.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!” He repeated four times while dabbing vigorously. I reached out and grabbed his arm tight enough to stop the dabbing. “What? Too much?” He chuckled, the childish look on his face forced me to shake my head. I swear this kid is like a living meme. I thought to myself while trying to hold back my laughter.

The night came to a close with Felix growing impatient and washing his hair way too early, resulting in his hair turning a dirty blond/rose gold blend. I went home shortly after and began mentally preparing for the social anxiety of the upcoming Halloween Party. I will admit I was nervous, but that nervousness was slowly replaced with excitement. I couldn’t wait to help support Felix and his crew. No matter how strong the anxiety, the feeling of helping a new friend was just as powerful.


End file.
